Which Characters Make You Want to Tune Out of Your Favorite Shows?
June 4, 2012 by Marisa Roffman
No matter how good a show is, odds are at one point in time a character has been introduced that you just can’t stand.
If you’re lucky, you may grow to enjoy the character as the series goes on. If you don’t, perhaps you can find a way to love to hate the character. (Which, admittedly, can be its own kind of fun.)
However, there are some characters who are just freaking painful to watch on-screen. You know the kind…the ones you scream/curse/cringe/plot their very painful death whenever they come on screen. (Okay, that last option may just be something I do…) They’re the ones that make you wonder what the heck their purpose is on your favorite show other than driving you up a wall with annoyance.
I will say, I consider myself lucky that the vast majority of the characters that made me cringe the most this season are now gone. (Bye HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER’s Kevin and SMASH’s Ellis. You will not be missed.) But now comes news that Catherine Tate will be a series regular on THE OFFICE next year, and…well, I’m not thrilled.
Nellie is one of those characters that makes me angry. I’m not going to lie and say I love THE OFFICE today as much as I did 6 years ago, but I had come to a weird sense of peace with all the differences. But Nellie? She ruins it. There is quite frankly nothing about the character that I like.
I tolerated her arc in Florida. I didn’t love it, but there were enough things going on elsewhere that I did enjoy that I let it slide by a little. But her coming to Scranton was painful and the notion that she’ll be returning full-time back to the comedy next season makes me want to demote the show to DVR-only. Michael Scott’s crazy antics worked because there was no doubt there was a good-hearted person underneath all the shenanigans. THE OFFICE has tried to humanize Nellie, but I just don’t buy it.
And I’m sure I’m not alone. Whether it’s Nellie on THE OFFICE or someone else on one of your favorite shows, which characters make you want to change the channel?
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Not that I would call Smash a must-see for me… but Ellis ruled the unwatchable characters this year.
I watched very little of the office this season… I didn’t want my love of James Spader to be tainted by a not-great season. Or any of my The Office memories as they were… all Michael-Scotty.
This category also works well for half of the cast of Glee. And Grey’s Anatomy for that matter. Of all the doctors that have left or died, Little Grey’s the only one I miss. George occasionally. But mostly Little Grey. (still too fresh to talk about). But Teddy, Erica, all the docs who died in that shooting? Buh bye.
Oh… and Hannah on Bones. A poorly written character who honestly did nothing the show couldn’t have done some other way, only managing to make the base cast seem out-of-character for many episodes. Most of season six is unwatchable in repeats in her wake.
I’m sure there’s more… but I leave it there for now.
Speaking of Bones, I will nominate Daisy as the MOST annoying character ever. Kudos to Carla Gallo for making the character so cringe worthy. See, it is possible to separate the actor from the character.
Hannah was not, IMHO, annoying and I didn’t “hate” her. The character was just weakly written, under developed and poorly used.
Possibly controversial since this seems to be a character profile Americans like but… I can’t stand Ted from HIMYM. (Also known as Ross from Friends, or Dave from Happy Endings). I shout at the TV.
Also, Dicklan from Revenge (also known as Jeremy from TVD). So, so annoying!
Oh so many…including the ones you’ve already mentioned (Ellis-shudder) including Zoey on HIMYM and Gabe on The Office!
Oh yes…I am still not over the addition of James Spader & his creepy character on “The Office”! (And Kate…I love all the characters you hate! Sorry?!)
I have a lot! Artie on Glee, and Kevin McHale in general. Stevie on Eastbound & Down, Britta on Community, most of the characters on Gossip Girl, Declan on Revenge, Hattie on Parenthood, Jennifer Morrison on everything, Tyce on SYTYCD, Robert California on the Office.
For me, every single time the GOSSIP GIRL writers get lazy they bring back Georgina Sparks. I loathe the character (and don’t think Michelle Trachtenberg does much in the role) and I want to turn off my TV whenever Georgina pops up.
The same goes for Grace’s family on SMASH. (Ok I know her name is Julia but who cares?!). I can take Julia when she is at rehearsals or writing, but when they are back home in her apartment…hello fast forward.
Serena Van Der Woodsen and Chuck Bass. Sure they’re supposed to be the fan favorites, but they are practically the most annoying characters on the show and I would be OK with them getting killed off in the final season. Ezra on PLL. I’m sorry, but why are we supposed to root for the male TV equivalent of Mary Kay Letourneau? Jack on Revenge (sorry I’m on team Daniel). Winston on New Girl. He is the WORST!
There are a few main characters on TV series I watch and like, who I do not love as much as the other characters, but they just annoy me, they don’t make me wish to stop watching.
Probably the only main character who makes me want to change the channel are Dawson Leery from Dawson’s Creek, Seeley Booth from Bones, and Gil Grissom from the original CSI. One of them I disliked from the beginning, the other two I started to dislike after a little while. For reasons I would not say here.
But then there are a few temporary characters whose scenes I prefer not to watch ever again. Latest example Quinn from HIMYM. Kevin on HIMYM was before that. The character introduction for him was fine, but ever since the room painting episode he became useless as a character. [in the sense that the only purpose to keep the character around was a certain event that had to take place later, not right then] I cannot think of any other recent ones.
Chuck from Gossip Girl. It wouldn’t be so bad if they just presented him as a bad guy, but they insist on acting like being “tortured” redeems him, and let me tell you it doesn’t.
Scott from Teen Wolf (I know I know It’s embarrassing LOL) He’s just an idiot…and not in a fun Brittany from Glee Season One way.
Throwing this one out here for a friend….Finn from Glee. She hates him with the fury of a 1000 suns.
Daytime edition- Samantha McCall from General Hospital. She sucks all the enjoyment of everything for me.
@magnumalmond – Hating the main characters from the shows you love? That’s tough. I don’t know if I could continue to watch.
Someone already beat me to it, but Daisy on Bones drives me CRAZY. I’m so glad they rotate squinterns so she’s only on a few episodes a season. Literally all of the other interns are better characters than her, but since they insist on having her in a relationship with Sweets (which I cannot for the life of me figure out, they make no sense together), she has to stick around. UGH.
Also, Chang from Community. I love the show, and he was hilarious the first season, but it’s pretty obvious they have no idea what to do with him now. I cringed whenever there were Chang-centric stories this year.
I also really hated Zoe on HIMYM last season, even though I’ve always liked Jennifer Morrison. I was glad when they finally moved on.
Daisy Wick on Bones (this will come as a surprise to no one who knows me well…or anyone who only knows me a little bit TBH! LOL). I hate her…hate her hate her hate her. She makes me want to throw things…mainly at her.
I also can’t stand Tara in True Blood (which is nearly back on our screens! Yay for True Blood. Boo for Tara.) I just find her annoying and pointless…the sooner she dies the better!
Two other characters I dislike are Jeremy and Matt from TVD. They are the most boring characters on TV IMO, and I tend to yawn my way through their scenes. They never DO anything, and their personalities are none existant. Just…get rid of them. Please! LOL
Finally, there was Ellis on Smash. Such a hateful little man…I’ve never been so grateful to be rid of a TV character. My hatred of him is second only to my hatred of Daisy!
(Ok, I lied when i said finally. Finally finally it has to be Owen on Greys. Because he’s a cheating scumbag, and I automatically hate men/woman who do that. It’s an automatic reaction 😉 )
@magnumalmond,
That is the first time I can recall of someone really not liking (hating) the Seeley Booth character. Even from avowed Brennanites.
@Kath Skerry I didn’t dislike the characters so much that I’d want to stop watching. There were/are other things on these shows that I love. I just didn’t like these characters, they annoyed me a lot. But I wouldn’t call it hate. It just feels that I could’ve done with a lot less scenes with these characters.
Dawson’s Creek is still one of my big favourites, and I re-watch the DVD from time to time, because there is a lot of good stuff. Mainly Pacey and Joey. and Pacey. [and as unkind as it sounds, but cry-dawson scenes can make a viewer laugh, not just annoy] I did, however, stop watching CSI, but mainly because they broke up the graveyard shift, and Bones…because of reasons [most of which have to do with mine and the writers different view on world and things. which was shown/expressed through/via characters as the series went on. I just couldn’t relate to the show/characters anymore.]
@SueK Since my comment got lots of feedback, perhaps I should explain it a bit better? I never really liked the character, but I enjoyed the Brennan/Booth interaction and scenes at first. But being an atheist since birth, and having a very similar world view to the Brennan introduced in season 1, I had a really hard time understanding the character and his motives and actions. It just seemed to me like his, believers, view was the correct way to see things, and everyone else just had to learn to “agree” with him. That’s just how I felt about the character. And I’m sure I’m the only one, or one of very few. But I didn’t see his “macho” behaviour as being manly, I saw it as telling people how they should be/behave, but at the same time the character never seemed to learn from others, even though he liked to teach others.
I don’t have a problem with religious TV characters, for example Scully is awesome. Just with this one particular character, who isn’t my favourite. That’s all.
@magnumalmond,
Thank-you for the explanation. It is just that I found your reaction puzzling. I have no issues regarding a viewer’s like or dislike of a particular character. After all, it is a matter of taste and perception (there has to be someone other than Hart Hanson who likes Daisy). If there were no differing views there would be one show, one network and one set of writers.
As far as religion, I never quite got “that” vibe from the character (Booth). It seemed to me that the question of “faith”, “belief” and “fate” were counterpoints between the Booth and Brennan characters and their individual perceptions of the world and life in general.
Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang.
I would watch the show if they would get rid of him. He pisses me off so much I just can’t enjoy the show. If I ever met the “fictional” character in real life, I would beat him unconscious. It’s a shame, I really like all the other characters on the show but Sheldon is so repugnant, and he never (in the shows I’ve managed to get through) ever gets his comeuppance. After I realized that nothing bad happens to him, that no one ever punches his teeth out, I just stopped watching the show.
– on Bones Daisy Wicks is the one I truly HATE;
– on Dexter the fat lady from the archive ;
– of course Zoey on HIMYM;
– on Lost it was Claire (continuously screaming “Cha’lee!!” and “It’s moee boy-bee!” like an idiot) but also Boone, the spineless, model-looking, Locke wannabe-apprentice;
– on New Girl is the damn russian model(“Nadia”, was it?);